jelly bean

Flipboard's release last summer was hotly anticipated to say the least. A recent update to utilize the screen real estate of Android tablets bumped the app up another notch, and today's update (to version 1.9.18) puts the icing on the cake. As of today, Flipboard has Daydream functionality for Android 4.2.

Daydream, when it was first introduced, seemed kind of boring (okay, you can look at a lovely animated gradient while charging).

U.S. Tab 2 owners, your time has finally come: the Android 4.1.1 update is officially making its rounds. The 311MB update – which has been available on the UK Tab 2 for a couple of months now – recently showed up on the Wi-Fi model (GT-P5113) here in the U.S. via both OTA and Kies.

Update: Looks like the Tab 2 10.1's little brother – the Tab 2 7.0 (P3113) – is getting the update as well, also through OTA and Kies.

Of all the Android ROMs out there, few receive even a fraction of the love that CyanogenMod does. For users that like to flash ROMs and experiment with all Android has to offer, getting official Cyanogen support can be like Christmas morning. Today users of the HTC One XL and the old Verizon Motorola XOOM get to do a little happy dance as CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies have become available for the XOOM, while an experimental build is up for the One XL.

Hey Rogers guys – did you think HTC forgot about you? Turns out they didn't, as the Android 4.1 update is making its way to your variant of the One X as I type this. Exciting, no?

The update – which should clock in at around 635MB – brings all sorts of goodies to the flagship device, including Sense 4+, Google Now, Project Butter, and... some more stuff. Unfortunately, there's nary a changelog in sight so we can't tell you exactly what else to expect.

Don't say we don't love you, United Kingdom readers. Those of you rocking an HTC One X on the O2 network should check your settings menu, if you haven't gotten the update already. HTC representatives have taken to Twitter to announce the arrival of Android 4.1 to the former flagship handheld, and users on the company forums have confirmed the upgrade to software version 3.14.206.27. It looks like a nationwide rollout this morning afternoon, so warm up that wireless connection if you want some Sense-flavored Jelly Bean.

The long, hard road towards the future of Android slogs on. While Gingerbread still remains the largest major version of the platform, its dominance is decreasing steadily. As of January 3rd, Gingerbread only represented 47.4% (down from 50.6% in December)of all Android devices. The second runner-up was Ice Cream Sandwich with 29.1% (up from 27.5% in December). The two versions of Jelly Bean totaled up to 10.2%, though if you subdivide by the Summer and Winter releases, they get much farther apart: 4.1 accounts for 9%, while 4.2 is on a measly 1.2% of devices.

Good news, ROM enthusiasts: the Android Open Kang Project has released the much-anticipated first build of 4.2. Bad news: it's a completely new ROM, built from the ground up. That means that it won't be quite as feature-packed as you remembered, and device support is limited to the more popular Nexus models, at least for now. You'll also need to install a recovery that's compatible with 4.2 ROMs (the latest ClockworkMod and TWRP should do the trick) and do a full data wipe of your previous ROM.

Happy New Year! It's that time again; with the new year comes our new annual prediction post. I tackled this last year, and rather than do a bunch of crazy, pulled-from-thin-air predictions, I ended up with a link-filled research-fest for the year. It worked out pretty well, so that's what's on the docket for today. First though, I'll take a look and see just how many of last year's predictions and rumors came true, and provide some updates for the more important topics.

If you're still toting Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, good news – CyanogenMod let loose a flurry of new nightlies for the device today, all carrying the CM 10.1 moniker, meaning owners of Samsung's ten-inch Tab from 2011 can enjoy a stock Android 4.2 experience with some key improvements. Among those receiving the new nightlies are the Wi-Fi only Tab (p4wifi), Verizon and T-Mobile connected variants (p4vzw and tmo), the p4, and even the p3, which is the Galaxy Tab 10.1v.

Ever since Samsung released the Note II with awesome new features like Multi-Window and Air View, owners of the original Note have been wondering if they would ever see these enhancements. Considering the Galaxy S III started receiving its Premium Suite update about a week ago, we all assumed that the Note would be next. Samsung has now confirmed that with a new microsite highlighting all of the features of the Jelly Bean Premium Suite for the phablet that started it all.